According to the IDF, one of the tunnels was being dug
to enable terrorists to infiltrate into Israel. It said the attacks came in
response to mortar and rocket fire from Gaza, as well as the fatal shooting in
the West Bank in which four Israelis were killed last Tuesday.

The spike
in violence came as Israelis and Palestinians relaunched direct peace
negotiations in Washington after a hiatus of nearly two years.

Israel’s
response appeared to be delayed to avoid disrupting the talks, which began after
months of diplomatic efforts by the US.

Palestinian Authority Prime
Minister Salam Fayyad said he would do his utmost to prevent further
attacks.

“We believe this is dangerous to our people and we will not
permit it,” he said.

Fayyad also said he believed that chances for the
talks’ success were slim.

“The elements of failure for these negotiations
are much more than the elements of success,” he told reporters late Saturday. He
did not elaborate.

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